To adapt to changing environmental pressures, bacteria have developed various methods that allow them to uptake exogenous DNA and incorporate it into their own genomes. One of these processes is ...

A new study from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem reveals that bacterial movement plays a central role in the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes. The research team discovered that the rotation ...

Conjugation has classically been considered a bacterium-to-bacterium DNA transfer driven by the donor cell and is typically plasmid-encoded. Theoretically it is possible that any type of cell can ...

Bacteria in our intestines engage in genetic exchanges, called bacterial conjugation, and sometimes this gene swapping promotes antibiotic resistance. Could zinc, a well-known supplement, help curb ...

A Dartmouth study finds that molecular hitchhikers living within bacteria can make their hosts extra resistant to medical treatment by corralling them into tightly packed groups. The findings ...

Donor bacteria (green) attract recipient bacteria (red) to mating clusters. Conjugation events are represented Red bacteria displaying yellow dots. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible ...

Researchers observed that rotating flagella triggered gene expression in donor cells, prompting them to form clusters with recipient bacteria. These clusters bring cells into close contact and ...